Story Archive

Justice, Florida Style

According to an arrest affidavit, Jose Gonzalez, 27, and Michael Eller, 28, confessed to breaking into the Gas Bikes shop in Orange County, Fla. The owner, Robert Antley, was sleeping inside. He claimed that his cell phone battery was dead and the would-be thieves had cut the phone line to the store, so he took matters into his own hands and greeted the men with his gun. According to the intruders’ statements, Antley made the two men strip down to their underwear and face a wall while he jabbed the gun into their sides and threatened to kill them. Eller said Antley’s brother and his girlfriend showed up over an hour later, and then the group allegedly led the intruders to the bathroom, where they were beaten for more than an hour. Once Antley called 911, all five were arrested on various charges. “You are allowed to engage in conduct that is reasonable, necessary and lawful to protect yourself or your property, but one may argue that these efforts were neither reasonable nor lawful,” said WFTV’s legal analyst. (MS/WFTV Orlando) ...Just don’t argue it with the man with the gun.